


Freefall

by crimson_calamity



Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-07 05:12:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15211952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimson_calamity/pseuds/crimson_calamity
Summary: “Earlier this evening a burglary was reported at another prominent jewellers in the city centre-" Jaebum sits up straight, pen falling still on the essay in his lap as he stares at the TV. It's showing a clumsy video shot from a phone camera, sirens blaring in the background with small dark figures seemingly leaping from building to building, silhouetted against the violet sky. The ticker tape at the bottom reads “dangerous, do not approach" in block capitals, yellow on black. “This is the second time this week that witnesses have reported masked figures with apparently inhuman speed and strength fleeing a crime scene, just two of numerous reported incidents in the last few months-" Jaebum flicks the TV off, dropping the essay back onto the coffee table and his head into his hands.It's been a month since Jaebum found out exactly where Jinyoung disappears at night.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> strap in kids, this one's gonna get emo
> 
> fyi just a heads up this fic will include fairly graphic descriptions of injuries and violence in later chapters so if that's something u won't enjoy, bear that in mind; i'll give warnings in those chapters too so look after yourselves kids <3
> 
> also stuff in italics is usually a flashback/memory

“Earlier this evening a burglary was reported at another prominent jewellers in the city centre-" Jaebum sits up straight, pen falling still on the essay in his lap as he stares at the TV. It's showing a clumsy video shot from a phone camera, sirens blaring in the background with small dark figures seemingly leaping from building to building, silhouetted against the violet sky. The ticker tape at the bottom reads “dangerous, do not approach" in block capitals, yellow on black. “This is the second time this week that witnesses have reported masked figures with apparently inhuman speed and strength fleeing a crime scene, just two of numerous reported incidents in the last few months-" Jaebum flicks the TV off, dropping the essay back onto the coffee table and his head into his hands.

It's been a month since Jaebum found out exactly where Jinyoung disappears at night.

_Head pounding, Jaebum sighs, massaging his temples as he attempts to decipher this essay. Why must teenagers have such terrible handwriting? Not that he should really be doing this right now, considering he’s waiting on his new glasses to arrive and was also sent home as soon as classes finished by a concerned Mark who he's sure would smack him for trying to work through a migraine, even an incredibly mild one like this, but none of this has stopped his marking from piling up._

_Something moves in the corner of his eye. He looks over automatically, expecting to see a bird perching on the railing of his tiny balcony but that is very much not what he sees. Unable to reconcile what he is indeed seeing with his own two eyes with what should be reality, Jaebum just watches, frozen in place, as a figure, a human figure, dressed entirely in black with a hood up and mask over their face, hauls themself up and onto the balcony. They then dust off their jeans and straighten up as though it’s a perfectly normal thing to be climbing onto strangers’ balconies in the middle of the afternoon. Balconies which are ten stories from the ground._

_Everything gets even more inexplicable immediately too as they slide the French window open - the French window that Jaebum definitely hasn’t unlocked in months - and step inside._

_Jaebum leaps to his feet, chair toppling over with a loud thud. The person leaps back out the door, sprawling against the railing and clapping a hand to their chest as if_ they’re _the one who should be shocked and frightened right now._

_“What the fuck?” Jaebum croaks, now at something of a loss. What does one do when confronted with someone who somehow got onto their tenth floor balcony? Who could do that anyway? Unless - Jaebum’s blood runs cold and he grips the edge of his desk hard enough to hurt as the person in black straightens up - this could be one of those strange people with impossible abilities, the ones he can’t get his class to stop talking about. But what would one of_ them _be doing_ here _? “Wh- what do you want? How did you get up here?” He asks, shaking all over and back smarting as he presses hard against the desk, trying to get away from the person as they step inside. They stop when they notice this though, eyes glinting under their hood before they shrug it down and pull the mask off almost sheepishly._

_“Hi hyung.” Jinyoung mumbles. “You’re home early.”_

That had been a hell of a conversation. Jinyoung's “powers” were new, arriving in the last six months, he's found a group of friends who have the same or similar powers, they've been trying to work out what they can do and why they can do it without much luck on the latter part, they’re the ones who’ve been all over the internet. He'd apologised for keeping it secret, over and over again until it had just got too annoying not to forgive him - not that there was that much to forgive once he’d gotten over the initial shock; honestly Jaebum can understand why he kept it from him - and had shown him a few things, like lifting Jaebum's full wardrobe off the ground with one hand, crossing the apartment in a blink of an eye to retrieve his keys from next to the front door, scratching the back of his hand to watch the thin red lines close up in seconds. It was a lot. Overwhelming.

Jinyoung had clearly been trying very hard not to but he was definitely laughing when Jaebum had had to lie down so he didn't faint and fall down. He'd cowed a bit when Jaebum glared at him, but not for very long. He'd been very reticent to talk about his friends, saying they were more like colleagues, allies in trying to work out what happened than anything else, and he would barely say anything about what they were like or what they were doing together. Maybe that should have thrown an alarm in Jaebum's head.

_“I'm heading out, hyung, I'll see you tomorrow.” Jinyoung says cheerfully, ducking down to kiss the top of Jaebum's head on his way past. Brain ticking slowly, Jaebum watches him bustle for a moment, stepping into his shoes and grabbing his jacket._

_“Can I meet your friends sometime?” He blurts without really thinking about it, but Jinyoung freezes and stares at him like he's said something horrifying. Jaebum didn't realise that was such a terrible thing to suggest._

_“I-I don't know if that's a good idea.” He stutters, fidgeting with his jacket and zipping it up. Jaebum's heart sinks a little bit but he plasters on a wry smile and pushes his glasses back up his nose._

_“Am I that embarrassing?” He teases, but there's a part of him that's genuinely asking; even if he's only a year out of university, Jinyoung is still there, still a student. Maybe he doesn't want his friends to know they're together or something, that he's dating a trainee teacher. He isn't very “cool" after all, not since graduating and actually getting a real job._

_“No! Hyung, no that's so-” Jinyoung looks devastated, all but tripping over his own feet to sit next to him on the sofa- “that's not it. I just- don't know if you'd like them. I don't know if they're your kind of people.” He mumbles, folding his arms. Jaebum sighs and nudges him with his elbow._

_“If they're your kind of people, I'm sure they're great.” But Jinyoung doesn't move, starts worrying at his lip, Jaebum's reassurances apparently making things worse, but he shakes himself quickly and nods, looking up with a bright smile._

_“Yeah. And you're just the right amount of embarrassing, hyung.” He jumps to his feet with a laugh as Jaebum squawks in protest._

That _really_ should have thrown a red flag; barely days later they stole from their first museum.

Why does he keep doing this? Why can't he just do the right thing and turn Jinyoung in, tell someone, anyone even that he knows who one of these... serial thieves is? But the thing is, he knows the answer, he knows exactly why he keeps quiet, why he doesn't call the police the second he walks out of Jaebum's apartment: he may now be a thief, an incredibly good one with no apparent qualms about attacking guards and police officers with his enhanced abilities should he have to, but Jinyoung is still Jinyoung. Still funny, still sweet, still kind, despite a lot of evidence to the contrary, but at the moment at least he's still the same boy Jaebum grew up with, went to school and then university with. Fell in love with. Is still in love with, despite everything. But he might be turning into something else, going somewhere Jaebum cannot follow and it hurts so much, like metal shards being pushed slowly into his chest, to be watching that happen. It's painful, bitter, prickling his throat and twisting in his stomach every time he sees Jinyoung pull his mask up.

It's like he's behind glass, a two way mirror with one way sound; Jinyoung can see him but he can't hear, won't listen when he asks and yells and begs for him to stop, to fucking think about what he's doing, what these _friends_ are turning him into. The Jinyoung Jaebum met years ago, has known for years wouldn't do this, wouldn't hurt anyone deliberately yet here he is, some kind of masked vigilante, but without any of the justice the comic books like to glorify, instead beating up night guards to steal jewellery and museum exhibits.

Nora yowls, startled; it jolts him out of his reverie. She’s not in the sitting room or the kitchen, not sat by the front door. Which means-

“Hyung?” Jinyoung calls, eager and excited. Jaebum doesn't move, doesn't say anything as he stares down unseeingly at the coffee table. “Hyung are you- there you are-" light footsteps head over to him and he flinches at a touch to his shoulder- “you okay?” His brightness dims into worry and Jaebum sighs, standing up and turning to face him. He's in black again, mask crumpled in his hand, hair messy from taking his hood down and eyes dark, pupils blown wide.

“Where were you?” He asks dully though he knows the answer. Jinyoung cocks his head but smiles, a tiny gleeful thing that says everything it needs to; he lifts a hand to push hair out of his eyes and it glitters, covered in rings and bracelets probably worth more than Jaebum's apartment. “Why do you keep doing this?” Jaebum asks before he can even answer - more pleads really, quiet desperation trickling into his voice - but Jinyoung just grins wider, wild and razor sharp.

“Because it's fun, hyung,” he answers like it's obvious, “and it's not like we're hurting anyone, not _really_. Just, you know, businesses. A couple of museums sure but you know.” Jaebum's stomach twists hard; he doesn’t really know. How can he? There have been reports of injuries, critical ones from these break-ins, guards who got in the way, even just visitors. No deaths yet, but that is a big yet.

How has he managed to disconnect this from what he's doing? The Jinyoung Jaebum knows, the one he's known for years, wouldn't do this, he wouldn't just _hurt_ people like this, not for a cheap adrenaline high or for _anything_.

Jinyoung's face falls as Jaebum stays silent, struggling with what to say that isn't going to hurt him unduly because Jaebum might love him to pieces but he can't make excuses forever; Jinyoung’s reasoning isn't good enough, it just isn't. Maybe that's what he needs, maybe he should just yell, shout at him until he realises what he's doing to people but Jaebum won't, he promised himself he wouldn't solve problems by screaming at them anymore, that he'd leave that in his teenage years along with bloody lips and broken knuckles.

“Do you want me to go?” Jinyoung asks softly, abruptly, voice trembling ever so slightly, hurt but understanding, the last of the high bleeding from his face. Jaebum struggles, grappling with the halves of heart but ultimately giving in to what he knows he wants; he shakes his head. Jinyoung relaxes slightly, cupping Jaebum's face, rings cool against his cheeks. “We didn't hurt anyone.” He insists. Jaebum stays silent, staring past him at the window. “I mean it. We didn't. Not-" he stutters almost imperceptibly- “this time.” This time. Not this time. Jaebum's breath hisses out of him and he struggles to get it back; Jinyoung's eyes are terrifyingly guarded - he's never hidden anything from Jaebum, not like this - but he just smiles gently. This is the closest thing to an admission of lying that Jaebum's ever got but it feels bitter, flat, ugly just from the nature of the truth. Jaebum's chest hurts, an ache like a knot in his heart and spreading tendrils through his lungs and stomach, twisting and agonising but he pushes it aside. He can collapse later.

“Jinyoung-ah, do you really not see where this is heading?” Jaebum says quietly, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. Jinyoung stays impassive, lets his hands slip down to Jaebum's shoulders, thumbs resting on his throat. “These people you're running with, they- they didn't hurt anyone this time-" Jaebum's voice strangles in an attempt to not sound accusatory- “but it’s- it's building. Your _friends’_ actions are escalating and- how long until someone-" Jinyoung kisses him; his lips are as soft as ever, moulding perfectly to Jaebum's and oh so gently shutting him up. Something in Jaebum snaps and he pushes Jinyoung away, abruptly fuming. “Don't fucking- don't try and distract me asshole, you-" Jinyoung's expression clouds and he looks about to retort but Jaebum shouts over him- “you just don't want to face the fact that sooner or later one of your _friends_ is going to kill someone!” Jinyoung flinches like Jaebum’s slapped him but he recovers quickly, shaking with how tense he is as he grabs Jaebum's shoulders and holds him still.

“I'll talk to them.” He says tersely. Furious but trying desperately to rein it in, Jaebum scoffs disbelievingly, batting his hands off but he just grabs his face, stepping in closer to rest their foreheads together. “I will. I swear, I'll talk to them. We won't hurt anyone else.” His voice is quiet, calm even but there's a desperation in his eyes, desperation and _fear_ , fear he's trying very hard to hide. He's scared and Jaebum can't tell why but he can't be angry with him while he's scared; Jaebum breathes out slowly and shuts his eyes, makes himself just keep breathing until he’s calm enough to continue.

“Okay.” Jinyoung sighs, evidently relieved and smiling tremulously when he opens his eyes again. Jaebum's chest feels vaguely hollow, like someone failed to finish scooping his heart out, but he ignores that for now, forehead slipping from Jinyoung’s to rest on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Jinyoung’s arms wind around his shoulders and he shakes his head.

“It’s okay-” he sighs, nose nudging the side of Jaebum’s head- “it needed said.” It did, but not like that. “I'm sorry too.” He doesn't say what for, but there's weight to it; Jaebum breathes and stays silent, limbs heavy and head spinning slightly.

They stand in there for a long moment, breathing gradually synchronising and Jaebum's arms finding their way around Jinyoung's waist, face turning into the crook of his neck. He smells cold, cold and vaguely smoky but he's warm and familiar underneath it, like coming home even after all this. Jaebum's eyes ache, prickling with the need to cry, throat closing up and it's now that Jinyoung moves, hands clasping his shoulders and shifting him back. Thankfully it's not to talk; Jinyoung kisses him again, chaste and gentle and slow and Jaebum melts into it, eyes squeezed shut to keep from spilling over and his fingers twisting in the back of his jacket. Jinyoung presses closer with a sigh, hands slipping down, flat on his back and sliding under his shirt to just press warm against it.

The metal of the rings itches, the feeling crawling up Jaebum's spine to taste sour at the back of his mouth, chasing out the warmth.

“Take those fucking things off your hands.” Jaebum breaks the kiss to mutter, moving Jinyoung away from him gently and trudging away to the bedroom, running trembling fingers through his hair. Mumbling something unintelligible under his breath, Jinyoung follows, light footsteps and clinks of metal dropping to the floor, careless like they aren't worth years of Jaebum's salary. “Don’t just drop them.” He reprimands over his shoulder, numb to how unlike Jinyoung this carelessness is - messiness yes but carelessness no. But then so many things are unlike Jinyoung at the moment, what's one more? The footsteps pause, then there’s a quiet “sorry hyung” and the floor creaks as he crouches to pick them back up. Chest feeling like it’s concave and abruptly about to pass out with exhaustion, Jaebum all but collapses into bed, rolling onto his side and gathering a pillow in his arms to keep it over his face. He sighs heavily, fabric dampening under his breath; it’s vaguely unpleasant against his cheek but he doesn’t move it.

“Hyung are- you okay? You didn't say earlier.” Jinyoung mumbles hesitantly, the bed dipping down next to him. Jaebum grunts into the pillow, but he does relax a little when tentative fingers find the back of his head, combing through his hair gently. There’s a pause, like everything’s holding its breath all at once, then: “I love you.” Jinyoung murmurs. Whole chest aching, Jaebum turns his head enough to be heard.

“I love you too.” He croaks, hoping he just sounds tired rather than like he's crumbling internally. Breath puffing gently against his skin, Jinyoung kisses his shoulder, just a soft press of lips, before sitting up.

“Do you mind if I have a shower?” He asks, jarringly loud. Jaebum shakes his head, not trusting himself to say anything else and Jinyoung hums back, squeezes Jaebum’s shoulder before he climbs off the bed and pads away. The ensuite door clicks shut.

Jaebum slowly sits up and curls into a ball, forehead pressed to his knees. Mewling quietly, Nora leaps up next to him, nudging his shin with her head; he manages to hold it together until the shower starts up, letting the rushing water hide his quiet crying from Jinyoung's new and improved hearing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was a shitload of exposition huh


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof strap in lads

“This morning it was reported that two of the city’s largest art galleries were raided last night with both refusing to disclose what the losses are worth; these thefts are again thought to be the work of the same masked figures that have-" Jaebum switches the radio off, the headache that's been battering his skull since he got home last night throbbing even more insistently, and turns into the car park, pulling into the closest available spot. He takes a moment to compose himself, glaring at his reflection in the mirror in the sunshield. It doesn't make the dark circles go away. With a sigh he snaps it shut, grabbing his keys and his bag from the back seat before trudging to the school building.

His classroom is thankfully quite close to the front entrance so he doesn't have to go far to dump his heavy bag. Laptop warming up, he shuffles back to the foyer, turning off past the secretaries’ and headteacher’s offices.

“Morning.” Mark murmurs as Jaebum steps into the staff room. He’s the only one in here, both of them tending to arrive early, pottering about and trying to wake up. Jaebum mumbles a vague reply and grabs the kettle. “You okay?” He just grunts wordlessly in answer. Mark sighs and takes the kettle from him, pushing him gently towards the seats before turning to fill it up. “Worrying about Jinyoung again, huh?” When is he not? He falls into a chair, pulling his legs up and crossing them even though he probably shouldn’t be putting his shoes on the fabric seat. His silence apparently says everything because Mark sighs as he flicks the kettle on. “Sugar?” Is all he asks though. Jaebum shakes his head and he can almost feel the frown boring into his temple; he normally needs sugar in coffee, he only leaves it out if he really needs waking up. 

Silence as the kettle boils, ancient and rattling until it clicks and calms down. Mark bustles, pouring water and binning tea bags, clinks of spoon against porcelain and the opening and closing of cupboards the only sounds. Jaebum stares at the table, littered with old newsletters and stained with years worth of spilled tea and coffee, until a chipped blue mug is placed in front of him and Mark sits to his right, his own mug, striped green and faded yellow, in hand; Jaebum picks his up and sips it. It burns his tongue and it's too bitter really but he keeps drinking it anyway.

“Does he know how stressed you are over all of this?” Mark asks after a few minutes’ silence, blowing on his tea. Jaebum smiles tightly and lowers his own into his lap.

“Yeah. Doesn’t seem to change anything though.” All Mark does is arch an eyebrow but Jaebum can tell he's fuming, can almost feel the waves of anger bubbling around him. To be fair, Jaebum is angry too, but he sighs and taps a nail against his mug. “He doesn't- it's hard. He's trying.” Mark scoffs.

“Trying my fucking patience,” he mutters darkly, glowering at his tea, “you shouldn't put up with this shit Jaebum-ah, he keeps proving he's not going to stop.” Jaebum hums weakly. Maybe he shouldn't, maybe it is time to get out, to leave him to it if he's going to continue down this road. It's not like he hasn't thought about it, at night when Jinyoung's out doing what he does, tossing and turning unable to sleep for fear he'll open a paper in the morning and see that he's hurt someone. Again. 

But then he remembers everything else. Their history, they've been together years now. Jinyoung's kindness, because he  _ is  _ kind, he is, he tries his best to be a good person and he always has so surely he just needs to realise what he's doing? That robbing museums and assaulting guards is the opposite of that? Surely,  _ surely _ Jaebum can help him see that, he just needs more time because he's starting to, he's been trying to talk to his friends for a couple of weeks now, to get them to tone down what they're doing. He just needs time.

The staff room door bursts open and another pair of teachers bustle in; Mark nods and Jaebum mumbles a greeting, both of them standing up. Mark catches his elbow before he can turn towards his classroom, a worried frown pulling his eyebrows together.

“Please start putting yourself first.” He says quietly. Jaebum swallows and smiles weakly; he can tell Mark knows he's deliberately not saying anything but he thankfully leaves it alone and releases his arm with a slow nod. Head aching, Jaebum shuffles back to his classroom.

The morning passes uneventfully, a whirlwind of literature lessons and chattering and having to keep telling kids off for going on about the “superheroes” - surely superheroes stop crimes, not commit them - while he’s talking. His headache just keeps getting worse until lunch arrives; he ends up alternating between the staff room and locking himself in a toilet cubicle when it gets too busy in there until the bell rings and he trudges his way back to his classroom with a sigh.

He steps inside to see all of his pupils huddled in groups, bent over phones and whispering to each other with the furniture dragged all over the place to accommodate them.

“Yah, what do you think you're doing? Get back to your seats!” He barks. There's a flurry of movement and scraping chairs, but several of them keep their phones out under their desks. “Phones away, now!” 

“But there's- those people, with the powers and stuff, they're on the news again!” Soonhee blurts, waving her phone around. Locking his jaw, Jaebum just gestures for her to put it away. 

“It says they've killed someone!” All of the blood rushes from Jaebum's head; he touches his desk, steadies himself with his fingertips on the wood and tries to even out his breathing. “They were breaking into a government office or something and the guards had guns and there was like, a fight and three people died!” Taehyung continues, oblivious to Jaebum's struggle to stay conscious. “It's like something from a comic!” 

“Don't be a dick, people are dead!” Soonhee shoots back, automatically looking guiltily at Jaebum for the language but he barely hears her over the ringing in his ears. People are dead. People are dead, it's finally, actually happened.

_ “You promised me, you said you'd get them to stop this!” Jaebum shouts at Jinyoung, throwing the newspaper -  _ four hospitalised after burglary, culprits at large and dangerous _ \- to the table between them. He snatches it out of the air and crumples it in his fist, visibly fuming. _

_ “I tried! I am trying but-"  _

_ “But what? It's a very simple thing Jinyoung, just don't hurt anyone! Stop stealing shit if you're going to hurt people!” Shaking all over, Jaebum closes his eyes and forces himself to calm down, counting backwards and breathing slowly and all the other techniques from long ago anger management classes.  _

_ “Look, my friends they- it's tricky, alright, I am trying, I swear.” Jaebum keeps his eyes shut as Jinyoung steps closer, trying not to flinch at the hand that finds his jaw. “Please, just trust me, okay? Please.” He sounds desperate, scared, just like every other time they talk about this. Head pounding, Jaebum exhales slowly, the fight draining from his muscles with the air from his lungs. _

_ “Okay.” _

Jaebum stumbles out of his classroom and into the single staff bathroom across the hall, barely making it inside before vomiting into the toilet, braced against the cistern with very real pain punching through his abdomen. He vaguely hears a commotion in the corridor, panicked teenage voices chattering to each other behind the door before there's a tentative knock.

“U-um, Im-seonsaengim, are you okay?” Soonhee asks, half whispering like she doesn't really want to be heard. Jaebum stares unseeingly at the bowl for a long thirty seconds, breathing ragged, then straightens up, flushing and washing his hands and opening the door on autopilot. Soonhee all but sprints back into the classroom as do the small crowd of four or so students, all of them scrambling back into their seats and sitting painfully straight as he stalks to his desk.

“All of you just, behave and do some homework or something.” He orders shakily, snapping his laptop shut and barely remembering to grab his phone before he heads for the door. His instability must be painfully obvious because all of them obey, quietly getting something to do as he leaves. 

Jaebum forces himself not to run to the main office, hands trembling when he sees the principal, Park also inside; he says something Jaebum can't make out and the secretaries laugh. Heart clogging his throat, Jaebum knocks on the door. All three of them look at him, expectant and confused.

“I'm sorry to interrupt but I’ve, um, there's been a… family emergency. I’d- rather not go into details but I need to go for the rest of the afternoon, I'm incredibly sorry.” He says stiffly. Park frowns, seeming genuinely worried. 

“Everything alright?” He asks. Jaebum doesn't say anything, just smiles tremulously and shakes his head slightly; it must look as pained as it feels as Park just nods solemnly and waves a hand towards the entrance.

“Go, we'll sort things out for you.” Numbly grateful, Jaebum nods stiffly and presses the buzzer, heading outside. It's clear, sunny, a lovely day otherwise; it's too bright as he all but sprints to his car, unlocking it clumsily and ripping the door open.

He fumbles the key twice, having to pause and breathe before he can get it into the ignition. Not yet turning it, he breathes out again, both hands together gripping the steering wheel and his forehead resting against them. Just breathe. Breathe, then get home. The rest can wait.

The journey back passes in a blur, Jaebum utterly unable to say how long it is before he's parking and pressing the button for the elevator. That elevator ride seems to take longer than the drive in fact, a positive age passes before the doors slide open with a gentle ding. Suddenly nauseous and no longer sure if he wants to do this, Jaebum slowly approaches his door, unlocks it with trembling hands and stumbles inside. 

Jinyoung wobbles to his feet as he enters the sitting room; he looks awful, clothes ripped in places with a bloody smear on his cheek and a terrible hunted expression on his pale face. Abruptly and utterly furious, Jaebum feels less than sympathetic.

“I told you, I told you so many fucking times this would happen Jinyoung-ah-" Jaebum snaps; Jinyoung huffs and looks away, scrubbing both hands over his face.

“We're doing I told you so now?” He retorts, fear melting into anger. Jaebum barks an incredulous laugh.

“I think it’s warranted here, isn’t it?!” Jinyoung stays silent, grinding his teeth together. “Who did it? Was it- what’s his name, the- leader of your- group? Isn't it usually him?” Jinyoung doesn't look at him, forehead creasing. “Why won't you tell me?” He says nothing and then it twigs; Jaebum sways, feels like he's going to be sick again, bravado and fury taking a backseat as icy disbelief trickles down his spine. Never, not even once did he believe that Jinyoung  _ himself _ \- “You- no Jinyoung, come on, y- tell me you-" 

“I don't know.” He breathes. Jaebum's keys slip from his suddenly numb fingers, clattering to the hardwood like a gunshot in the silence. “I-I didn't mean to if I did, I just- pushed someone away from me but they h-hit the wall- I-” He looks up beseechingly, terror and regret written across his face and he takes half a step forwards. Eyes wide, Jaebum automatically stumbles away from him, heart pounding as fear and guilt and horror claw their way up his throat but it still breaks when Jinyoung freezes, eyes wide and filling with tears.

“You promised.” Jinyoung looks at the floor, squeezing his eyes shut. “You promised this wouldn’t happen again, you said you’d stop- you’d all stop hurting people and now you’ve killed someone?!” Jaebum’s sight blurs and clears when he blinks, lines of heat tracking down his face; he barks a semi-hysterical laugh when Jinyoung shakes his head slightly. “What, you didn’t now? You just said you didn’t know!” Another shake, more insistent and he hides his face behind trembling palms.

“I don't know, I don't think I did but I-” his gasp for air sounds like a sob- “I don't know. Hyung I don't know, I'm-" He sinks back down to the couch, breathing ragged and quick but not quite a panic attack. Jaebum stares, torn in half between running over to comfort and backing away in fear. “I tried, hyung I really did but they- we-” his head lifts, terrified and pleading- “hyung you have to believe me.” How can he? So many times he's said the same thing and nothing changed and now people are dead, actually dead and there's no going back from that. Jaebum shuts his eyes, squeezed tight with colours, red bursting in the blackness. “Hyung, please just- listen to me-” Jinyoung pleads but Jaebum shakes his head, keeps his eyes tight shut and tries to stay standing.

“I can’t do this anymore Jinyoung-ah.” His voice breaks, heart going along with it. Silence from Jinyoung, uncertain and scared from his ragged breathing. “I- this is too far, you've gone too far and I can't-" god it hurts, the words somehow sharp and jagged and tearing at his throat- “I can't be with you. Not- not after this.” He opens his eyes, tears gathering and spilling down his cheeks. Jinyoung's pale, looks about to be sick with his knuckles white on the edge of the couch cushion and tears of his own welling in his eyes.

“Hyung.” He breathes, thick and trembling. Jaebum shakes his head, the ache in his chest getting worse when he starts crying too. “No, hyung please don't do this.” Jinyoung's voice is painfully small and he's paying no mind to the tears now flooding freely down his face, dripping off his chin onto his torn shirt. Jaebum shakes his head with a wet, humourless laugh.

“I’ve tried Jinyoung, I’ve waited and I’ve trusted you and I’ve believed in you but you-” Jaebum looks down, swallowing around the lump in his throat- “I can’t do this anymore.” His vision blurs and he scrubs pointlessly at his face with his sleeve. “I love you. But I don’t- know who you're becoming and I can't-" his voice gives out, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks- “I can't stick around to watch you turn into- I just can't, I’m-” sorry; he mouths the word but it doesn't come out, throat closing around it. Jinyoung's visibly shaking, chin dipping to his chest. Jaebum doesn't feel much better, head spinning and vision starting to turn black at the edges but he doesn't move, doesn't sit down. He doesn't know what to do, what he should say now and Jinyoung's not moving, lost and tiny on Jaebum's couch and it hurts to see that, so much. 

“Okay.” He whispers. He sounds heartbroken and Jaebum instantly regrets everything, wants to take it all back and pull him into a hug but he also doesn't; he can't do this anymore. “Okay.” He repeats, chin lifting and his expression forced blank even as he keeps crying; he stands up and Jaebum forces himself not to flinch when he slips past him, not daring to look at him again lest he lose his resolve and try and take everything back. 

The door clicks shut. Jaebum’s breath rushes out of him and his legs give out, falling to his knees in the middle of the room and covering his face with both hands to sob into them. It hurts, it hurts so much. Three years they were together, friends for longer and it  _ hurts _ to throw that away but what else is he supposed to do? He's  _ tried _ , he tried for so long but there has to be a line; Jinyoung could have  _ killed _ someone, how can he stay after that?

Barely able to see, Jaebum fumbles for his phone. It slips from his fingers, clattering to the floor but given he's also on the floor it isn't damaged. Blindly trusting muscle memory, he finds Mark's number and presses call. It occurs to him halfway through the third ring that Mark's still at the school, still working so he won't pick up but it's as he thinks this that it connects. 

“Jaebum? Why- what are you-?” He starts, confused.

“It's over. I- Jinyoung and I, we-" He loses it, hunching over and covering his mouth to attempt to quiet his cries, trying to breathe around the vise compressing his chest. 

“Oh my god.” Mark breathes, rustling and clicking coming down the line. “I'm on my way over okay, I've mostly finished up here anyway.” Jaebum barely hears what he's saying, just clutching at his phone and clinging to his voice, trying to gather himself even slightly back together. “Just, hold on okay? I'll be half an hour, do you need me to stay on the phone?” It takes a minute before Jaebum can cough out a vaguely coherent answer but he finally manages, mumbling a no and sniffling pathetically. “Okay. I'll be there soon.” He hangs up. Jaebum locks his phone and tosses it onto the carpet under the coffee table then curls up, forehead pressed to his knees and tears staining his trousers. 

Jaebum has no idea how long he spends curled up there crying but after an indeterminate amount of time there's an insistent rapping at the door; Jaebum stumbles to his feet, all but ripping it open and collapsing into Mark's arms, bawling like a baby into his jacket. A sigh puffs against his ear and Mark shuffles inside, the door clicking shut behind him and a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders, squeezing soothingly. 

“Come on Jaebum-ah.” He murmurs, rubbing up and down his back and slowly walking him towards the couch until he can plop down onto it and drag Jaebum with him, tucking his head under his chin and sighing, shushing him gently. “Come on, it'll be okay. You'll be okay.” Will he? Seems unlikely at this point.

Thankfully Mark doesn't say much else, just keeping hugging him until his sobs eventually come to a stop on their own. Light-headed, Jaebum wriggles his way free of his grip, scrubbing his face on his sleeve until a handful of tissues is pushed into his hands. He mumbles a thank you and wipes his eyes, blowing his nose and keeping his head bowed.

“Hey.” Mark squeezes his shoulder but he doesn’t look up. “Do you want to talk about it?” Not really.

“They killed people.” He mumbles thickly. Mark goes rigid, fingers biting almost too hard into his arm but he loosens his grip quickly and swears under his breath. “I couldn’t- it was, I kept telling him but he never listened to me.” His eyes prickle again and he drops his head into his hands. Mark sighs and pulls him into a one-armed hug again.

“Then you did what you had to do.” Mark says calmly, rubbing Jaebum's shoulder. “Even if it doesn't feel like it.” Jaebum says nothing, everything aching worse in time with each beat of his heart. “This was tearing you in half, Jaebum-ah, he wasn't- you had to put yourself first. Even if it hurts like hell right now.” Jaebum nods slowly, not really believing him. “You'll be glad you did this in the long run.” That remains to be seen, but Jaebum somehow doubts it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry guys :')
> 
> if u wanna yell at me do so down below or on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles), [tumblr](http://jbibbles.tumblr.com/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) tho my tumblr looks p dead I do check it I just forget to queue stuff lmao


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> halfway through now lads

“Breaking just now: reports are coming in of some of the goods stolen by these superpowered criminals in the past months being returned to their original owners, with one painting reportedly being hung back in place without any security staff becoming aware-” Jaebum tunes out the woman reading the headlines to her friend, physically turning away from her and glaring out of the train window. Pointless of course, it’s the subway so he sees nothing but darkness and his own face reflected in the glass, but still, he’s sick of hearing about it. Utterly fucking sick of these superpowered assholes and this new feud that's emerging between factions forming in their ranks; everyone's talking about it, his students, fellow teachers, everywhere he goes, every day on the news. There's no escaping from it. It was bad enough before but now-

The intercom chimes, announcing Jaebum's stop. He elbows his way to the doors, stumbling onto the platform and making his way up and out of the station through the bustling crowds, rucksack heavy on one shoulder.

It's raining, water trickling in drips and streams down the stairs out of the subway station, because of course it is. Sighing, Jaebum tugs his hood up - flimsy fabric, it's not going to keep him dry - and steps into the downpour. Thankfully he's not too far from Mark's apartment building but in the short trek he gets drenched, jeans heavy and hair plastered to his forehead.

“Hello?” Comes the tinny response when he presses the buzzer for Mark's flat, the old speaker crackling almost too loudly to hear him.

“Hi.” He replies shortly. There's no response but the door buzzes and clicks open; Jaebum slips inside and pushes his hood down as he makes his way up the flights of stairs, grimacing at the clamminess of the wet fabric. Mark's already holding his front door open, smiles tightly at him as he trudges up the last few steps and mumbles a vague greeting.

“You want a towel?” He asks in lieu of saying hello; Jaebum nods gratefully, dumping his back in the kitchen and dripping onto the tiles as he gingerly sheds his jacket and hoodie and kicks his shoes off. They held up surprisingly well, his socks are mostly dry. Or were, before his jeans got them wet.

Mark returns with a purple towel and a pair of sweatpants, both of which he gratefully takes, draping the towel over his head and peeling his jeans off.

“Thanks.” He mumbles, tugging the sweatpants on and rubbing at his hair; Mark waves it away, pushing him into the living room and onto a sofa where two mugs of tea already sit. “You already started?” He asks, nodding at the mess of papers and the laptop on top of them showing one of his lesson plans. Shrugging, Mark plops down onto the floor next to the laptop, picking it up to place it next to him on the floor. 

“I have more to do than you.” He mumbles, embarrassed. That’s not shocking, he does - and always did - have a tendency to leave everything to the last minute. “But we can get onto that later-” oh boy, here it comes- “how are you doing?” Every time. It’s nice that he worries so much but the same question - with pretty much the same answer every time too - gets a little old. Jaebum covers his head with the towel under the pretense of drying his hair some more.

“I’m getting there.” He’s been getting there for a while now but that’s by the by. Mark sighs and pulls his legs up, has his arms around them loosely and is frowning up at him when he can’t pretend to dry his hair any longer.

“Jaebum-ah.” God, he sounds so disapproving. Jaebum drapes the towel over the arm of the sofa and picks his tea up, staring fixedly at it so he doesn’t have to look Mark in the eye. “Talk to me man, come on. I’m worried about you.” Mollified, Jaebum’s chin dips to his chest.

“I know but- I’m- I don’t know, I’m getting there.” He sips the tea so it doesn’t look as much like he doesn’t know what to say. It’s hot, almost scalding his tongue but he ignores it and takes another. Mark shakes his head and barks a short unhappy laugh.

“That’s not a real answer.” He snaps. Jaebum’s well aware of that so he doesn’t say anything, staring unseeingly at the wall. “I’m trying to help, talk to me.” Jaebum’s eye twitches and he forces himself not to grit his teeth.

“What do you want me to say?” He mutters, trying to squash down his irritation; he doesn’t even need to look at Mark to know he’s rolling his eyes. Bristling, he snaps back. “Alright, I’m sad, I miss him and I’m still in love with him, we were together for years, is that surprising?” Immediately feeling guilty - Mark’s only trying to help - he looks down, glaring into his cup. Huffing a quiet sigh, Mark shuts his laptop and shuffles a little closer.

“Anything I can do?” Not really. Mark just hums when he says as much. “Alright but just- if you get really down, do something, okay? Go for a walk, call me, play with Nora or something, yeah? Don’t just sit there wallowing.” Easier said than done but Jaebum sighs and nods, offering him a weak smile. He returns it sadly.

“I’ll be okay. You shouldn’t worry about me so much.” Mark just rolls his eyes again, looks close to throwing a pen at him in exasperation. Jaebum wouldn’t blame him to be honest.

“It’s my job asshole, I’m your friend.” He sounds begrudgingly fond. Jaebum takes another sip of his tea and watches him grab a printout of one of his plans and smooth it out on his desk, scrawling on it in bright red pen. After a few minutes’ consideration - more like mental preparation - Jaebum speaks up again, hoping he doesn’t sound too eager despite being desperate to know the answer.

“Do you know if- is he okay? Has Jackson said anything?” Jaebum mumbles, not really wanting to say his name in case his voice breaks; he knows full well he pretty much gave up the right to know how Jinyoung's doing when he broke up with him but he can't help asking. Mark goes still for a moment then sighs and shrugs, scratching his nose with his pen.

“From what Jackson tells me he's doing alright considering. Mopey but alright.” He doesn't sound particularly enthused. Not that Jaebum can blame him, he's a little biased. “Still vanishes out at night off-" he waves a hand, somehow sarcastic- “doing what he does.” He stops again, heaving a sigh. Jaebum brings his tea closer to his mouth but doesn't drink anything, waiting for Mark to continue. “Jackson’s still complaining, keeps saying he should have been the first to know, best friend privileges or something-" Jaebum cracks a weak smile; that does sound like Jackson- “but he also confessed that he's glad he didn't or he'd have, and I quote, “physically kicked Jinyoung's ass from here to the next century for stealing stuff and whatever” but now he just has to worry about him getting beaten up by the other ones.” The  _ other ones _ being those who keep stealing, what with Jinyoung apparently turning coat and returning some of what they stole to the apparent displeasure of the others. And it had to be Jinyoung, even before all the confirmations from Mark, it was him caught on camera a couple of times; mask or not, Jaebum can recognise him anywhere. 

Head starting to pound, Jaebum sips his tea and shoves the thought of Jinyoung getting hurt out of his mind. 

“It's a good thing, what he’s doing. Dangerous or not. He's- more like himself.” Jaebum mumbles, not sure why he feels so hollow saying it. Mark hums dubiously, scrawling on his lesson plan again.

“Took him long enough,” he mumbles, scribbling out a word, “only the best part of a year.” Jaebum breathes in, lungs filled with the scent of coffee and pencil shavings. It's not comforting; he lets it back out again, chin dipping to his chest. “What?” Mark asks, distracted but glancing over at him. Jaebum stays quiet for a long while, contemplating what to say, whether he even should. Maybe if he talks about it he can stop dwelling on it every night.

“I just- don't understand.” Jaebum says lamely. Mark sets his pen down and frowns at him. “I- tried for so long to help him get away from them, to see what they were doing but he-” he puts the mug down and slides it away, stomach churning- “nothing changes until I'm gone. Was it-”  _ me? _ Was this his fault, was he doing something wrong, something that had Jinyoung feeling like he had to run with these people? Was he just making everything worse, his attempts to help, his nagging - because he was, he was nagging at him but surely it was justified? Wasn't it? - just pushing him in the opposite direction?

“Stop it-” Mark's snap is punctuated with a gentle smack on the arm with a flimsy ruler- “this wasn't on you. This was Jinyoung failing to see what an asshole he was becoming until he didn't have his ever-forgiving safety net anymore.” Jaebum sits up straight, eyebrows twitching together and Mark has the decency to wince. “Sorry. That was unfair, I didn't… mean it like that. I'm sorry.” Jaebum slumps again and nods slowly, not even having the energy to get annoyed. It’s a fair description really. Mark sighs, shifting in his chair. “Look, it's- this isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for someone else's actions, you couldn't stop him. It wasn't your fault.” That's easier said than believed but Jaebum nods again and looks down at the table, watching the surface of his tea ripple. It wasn't his fault, but he could have done more to help Jinyoung help himself.

“Okay.” Jaebum murmurs, refusing to talk anymore about it and standing up to retrieve his backpack from the kitchen when Mark won’t stop prodding. Thankfully he takes the hint and they fall into silence, punctuated occasionally with talk about lesson plans and coworkers; it’s productive, Jaebum gets most of his work done even with his mind half-occupied and Mark actually catches up and gets set for his classes next week. 

“Hey.” Mark catches his arm as, a couple of hours later, Jaebum gathers his stuff and stands up to go get changed into his own clothes again and get ready to leave. “You’ll get through this.” Is all he says before he lets go, offering him a weak smile. Jaebum nods slowly. Maybe he will, but somehow he thinks it might be harder than Mark thinks.

The sun briefly visible before it sets behind the buildings of the city thanks to the now less cloudy sky, Jaebum manages to make it home before it starts raining again; he’ll take the small miracles at this point. Nora starts yowling the second he walks through the door; he feeds her and puts away his stuff on autopilot, grabbing a bowl of leftovers from the fridge and plopping onto the sofa. It’s so quiet, Nora’s crunching, the creaks of the sofa under him, even his own breathing seeming to echo through the empty apartment, the sirens and traffic outside duller than normal, muted and distant. Flicking the TV on for background noise more than anything, Jaebum settles back against the couch cushions and eats his food, barely tasting it. 

It’s been almost a month, surely he should be improving by now? Moving on even slightly? But no, just that week he’d uncovered a couple of books Jinyoung had clearly forgotten when he’d come to clear his stuff out with Jackson - Jaebum had made himself very scarce that day - and it had taken him half an hour to stop fucking crying. Does he even have the right to feel this bad? He did the breaking up, he did that, surely he shouldn’t still feel so broken-hearted? Why can’t he just get over him?

Well, he knows the answer to that. Appetite gone, Jaebum sets the half-empty bowl onto the coffee table and curls into a ball, heaving a sigh with his forehead pressed to his knees. This sucks. Why couldn’t Jinyoung magically find his conscience  _ before  _ killing someone? Possibly killing someone. Does it really matter which? He was complicit, he was there and for all his promises he never came through on getting his friends to tone it down even slightly. Was he secretly as bad as them, as violent, as uncaring? But Jaebum knows he’s wrong even as he thinks it; if he was, he wouldn’t have changed tack, wouldn’t now be trying to get the others to stop, trying to put things right. 

Groaning quietly, Jaebum uncurls and lies on his side, temple against the arm of the couch and prickling eyes fixed unseeingly on the news channel playing on the TV for a while before drooping closed, drained and ready to sleep if just to stop thinking about Jinyoung for a while. Of course, he could actually go to bed, sleep somewhere a little more comfortable, but that requires moving. The bed itself still feels too big anyway.

Nora squeaks; Jaebum opens his eyes as she pads around the corner of the couch and sits in front of him, tail swishing once before wrapping around her. She just stares at him, unwavering. Jaebum blinks. One ear twitches slightly and her nose lifts a little higher. 

“What?” He grunts. She makes a half-squeak, half-purr noise, blinking once slowly. “I just fed you.” Another squeak and she stretches, padding over to the couch and jumping up next to him, butting at his chest. “You’re spoiled.” He grumbles as he moves to accommodate her, rolling onto his back so she can curl up determinedly on his stomach. She just starts purring. Smiling weakly and a little comforted despite himself, Jaebum tickles the back of her neck and closes his eyes again. 

He must fall asleep at some point because the next thing he remembers is being woken up. Rather unceremoniously too, with claws digging into his chest and a loud yowl; Nora bolts off somewhere, probably to hide behind the TV, still on the news and rattling off something he barely hears. Trying to figure out what spooked her so badly, Jaebum sits up, rubbing his eyes and hood falling from his head as he peers around blearily. It’s not immediately obvious, nothing out of place in here or in the kitchen as far as he can see. Muttering under his breath about stupid high-strung cats, he stands up and trudges to his bedroom, smoothing down the back of his hair and flicking the light on; it’s dark outside now, fully so. 

Nothing’s immediately out of place here either, everything where he left it, laptop on his bed and chair by his desk, but his heart almost stops when he looks around at the balcony door.

There’s blood on the glass and someone on the balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu here or on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles), [tumblr](http://jbibbles.tumblr.com/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) pleaseee I wanna here what u think and talk to people


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey kids just a heads up; this and the next are the chapters that really work to earn that graphic descriptions of violence tag so be aware of that. It's not that bad imo but this chapter does have some injury detail that could upset people so pls take care <3

_ “Urgent announcement now coming through: residents are being advised to avoid certain areas downtown after violence between the now infamous super-powered individuals has left several buildings damaged-”  _ Filters through from the living room, quiet and muffled.

There’s blood on the glass. Smeared downwards at around chest height, not that much, maybe half a handprint. Shivering all over, Jaebum barely dares look lower but forces himself to do so, takes half a step into his room; there’s a figure slumped against the railing, all in black with their chin drooping to their chest. An entirely too familiar silhouette. 

Jaebum doesn’t move for a good minute, rooted to the spot. Jinyoung doesn’t either, hood low over his face but his shoulders rise and fall with apparently laboured breathing. This realisation manages to spur him into motion; he slowly approaches the window, fingers trembling against the key. It rattles quietly, the door sliding across with a quiet rasp but Jinyoung remains motionless even when Jaebum slowly sinks to his knees in front of him. 

“Jinyoung,” Jaebum breathes, barely getting the word out; there's no response, “Jinyoung. Can you- hear me?” Nothing. Heart in his throat, Jaebum stares, debating what to do before tentatively reaching for the wrist lying limp on his lap, red smeared across his fingers.

He almost falls back in shock when Jinyoung twitches at the slightest brush of fingertips against his skin, yanking his hand back as though burned. Head lifting, Jinyoung coughs, clutching at his side and pushing himself up painfully; there's blood staining his mouth, down his chin. He stares at Jaebum, blank and barely aware, not recognising him for a long moment before awareness slams into him and he stiffens, eyes widening painfully.

“Are you okay?” Jaebum croaks, quietly and pointlessly because he very obviously isn't. Jinyoung doesn’t even blink, blindly scrubbing his arm over his chin and smearing blood around without really removing any, then he shifts, goes to try and stand up but the arm he’s leaning on gives out and he sprawls back against the railing. Grimacing, he gingerly prods at his side, now avoiding Jaebum’s eyes. “Jinyoung, you-" he stops in horror when Jinyoung coughs again, fresh blood staining his lips brighter red- “oh my god, you- what happened?” He doesn't wait for an answer, first aid refresher training he happened to complete last week - not that any of it will likely help much with injuries like this, but it's something - kicking in as he gets an arm under Jinyoung's shoulders to pull him to his feet. Thankfully he can hold some of his own weight, stumbling alongside Jaebum though not without some weak protests.

“You- hyu- I'm, I'm okay, you don't have to-" Jaebum cuts him off briskly.

“Shut up idiot, you can't even stand on your own.” Jinyoung falls silent, no longer fighting Jaebum's grip and letting himself be half-carried into the bathroom. He slumps against the wall with a grimace when Jaebum helps him sit, plucking at his ripped jacket and losing grip on the zipper, fingers slick with more blood. Gulping, Jaebum bats his hands away, manages to get it down to reveal his t-shirt, torn and ruined with his chest black and blue beneath it, and the wound causing all the staining.

Now, Jaebum's not squeamish, he's usually okay with blood and gore and stuff but this has him swaying in place with his vision fading and his pulse pounding in his ears; there's a gash torn in Jinyoung's left bicep, carving from his shoulder almost to his elbow, more layers of skin and fat and muscle on display than anyone should ever have to see with a flash of white underneath - the bone presumably - but even as Jaebum watches it's starting to close up, flesh knitting together seamlessly. 

Jaebum sits rather heavily on his butt and tries not to faint. Jinyoung, ironically, looks mostly okay, frowning down at it and gingerly prodding at the edges of the wound. 

“Don't poke it.” Jaebum squeaks, automatically grabbing his wrist and tugging it away, unable to stop staring as more blood oozes sluggishly from the gash. It's less than one would expect. Has he lost that much? Wouldn't he be unconscious? Or dead? Wait this might be a superpower thing. Can his powers really deal with something like this?

“There's- um. Metal. In it. A little bit.” Jinyoung stutters, but he doesn’t try to pull his wrist from Jaebum’s grip. It takes a second for his words to filter through the screaming in Jaebum’s mind but when it does he blanches, letting go of him so he can’t feel his hand start shaking. “Do you have any tweezers?” Tweezers? Jaebum stares at him blankly. “I need to get the metal out.” He explains as patiently as someone currently bleeding from a large wound can. Genuinely worried he might pass out if he stands without support, Jaebum shuffles to the sink and hauls himself up, rooting through the cabinet and passing the tweezers to Jinyoung, who just nods his thanks and pulls the wound open-

Jaebum looks away and wills himself not to fall over before he can sit back down against the sink. He doesn’t look anywhere near Jinyoung even when he starts swearing colourfully under his breath, screwing his eyes shut when he catches a glimpse of red out of the corner of them - maybe he’s a little more squeamish than he lets on. He then realises he should probably help rather than let Jinyoung pull metal out of his own arm.

“Shit, do you-” Jinyoung nods quickly, offering his injured arm. 

“Can you just- hold it open? Here.” He points at the lower half of his upper arm, the part of the wound currently at its deepest, the rest still sealing down from his shoulder. 

“H-hold it-” what the fuck- “Jinyoung you should- go to a hospital? I’ll drive you, I-” Jinyoung shakes his head fervently, fear raw in his eyes. 

“I can’t, not with- I’ll get sectioned or something, I’m really okay, please just-”

“Okay,” too tired and queasy to argue, Jaebum interrupts his panicked rambling, steeling himself and shuffling closer and blinking hard against his lightheadedness, “what- just pull it open?” He gingerly grasps Jinyoung’s arm where he indicated, blood staining his hands already. 

“Yeah, it’s- it’s okay, it doesn’t really hurt that much-” he does sound scarily unaffected now- “just pull it open wider, I know where the metal thing is.” Jaebum does as he’s asked. It’s over remarkably quickly as Jaebum carefully avoids looking down at Jinyoung’s arm beyond what’s necessary and after a grunt and some loud swearing, Jinyoung’s triumphantly brandishing an inch and a half long piece of some grey metal, blood dripping from it onto the white tiled floor.

Jaebum thinks he blacks out because the next thing he’s aware of is being slumped against the wall with panicked calls of his name ringing in his ears. Well. This is embarrassing. He shakes himself and smiles weakly at Jinyoung before curling into a ball and just breathing until his head stops spinning.

“Sorry.” He mumbles, uncurling when he’s sure he won’t faint again to see Jinyoung with his hand half raised towards his shoulder; he jerks it back with wide eyes, swallowing hard and clearing his throat. 

“It’s- um, it’s okay I- it’s fine. Can I- clean this up?” He asks, painfully hesitant. Shaking himself, Jaebum nods and clambers slowly to his feet.

“Yeah I’ll- I’ll do it, sit up on-” He helps Jinyoung up too, gets him to sit on the counter next to the sink and turning the faucet on, running it full of lukewarm water and dropping a flannel into it.

“Are you sure? I can-” He shuts up when Jaebum shakes his head.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” He insists, grabbing Jinyoung’s elbow and the glass he keeps by the sink. The water runs red, swirling into the basin and staining the flannel when he gingerly wipes at the stubborner stains on Jinyoung’s skin. It’s silent for a while, Jaebum almost mechanically cleaning off Jinyoung’s arm and the wound in it. It’s almost completely closed now, bleeding just slightly at the edges of where it’s scabbing over. Jinyoung shifts occasionally, falling still whenever Jaebum freezes worrying he’s hurt him inadvertently. After a minute he lifts his head, though his eyes remain on the floor.

“I’m sorry for- dropping in-” he winces, clearly regretting the somewhat whimsical phrasing but powering through- “I guess I just- was running on autopilot after-” He nods down at his arm. Jaebum nods back, not entirely sure what he can say to that and maybe he couldn’t if he wanted to because his throat has closed up at the fact that Jinyoung would still come here when he’s not thinking about where to go. They fall back into silence.

“I didn’t kill anyone.” Jinyoung blurts suddenly. Mostly finished cleaning up now, Jaebum looks up but he’s still looking away, fidgeting. “I know that- it’s not really the point and that I was still part of what happened but I-I checked on the- the person I pushed and they- they were okay.” He visibly gulps and falls silent again. Jaebum tries to think of something to say to that; what can be said to that? It’s good but it doesn’t really change much. Or maybe it does, or should, considering all the other efforts Jinyoung’s been making. Should it? Why must this be so hard?

Jinyoung sighs and lifts his head, finally meeting Jaebum’s gaze and holding it. As they stare silently at each other, Jaebum’s suddenly thrown back to when they first got together, back in his second year of university. It had taken months, hell maybe years longer than it needed to, neither of them willing to be the first one to admit it, to be vulnerable and ask how the other felt. Prideful, as young men are wont to be. At least they were, until a pale-faced Jinyoung had turned up at his tiny room back in his accomodation block - thanks to Jackson bribing Mark to buzz him in - with a determined frown and Jaebum’s phone charger that he refused to return until he agreed to go on a date with him. It had been a rather odd strategy because Jaebum had agreed before he’d even managed to say he couldn’t have it back, but it had been something to remember fondly later. 

Regardless, Jinyoung had made that leap three years ago and he’s offering something here. And fuck if this past month hasn’t been miserable. Maybe it’s Jaebum’s turn to offer something back. Maybe nothing concrete, but  _ something _ .

“I’m sorry.” Jinyoung blinks, then his head tilts, eyes huge and confused. Palms sweating, Jaebum shifts in place, flicking hair out of his eyes. “I shouldn’t have just- left like that. Not when you needed- or well, I guess you didn’t need me but-” his voice fails and he has to swallow hard, throat trying to close up- “you know what I mean. I’m sorry.” Jinyoung seems almost dazed, blinking quickly. 

“Okay.” Okay. Jaebum nods once, not trusting his voice - he's not sure if he even has the right to be hurt by that, but it's not like Jinyoung has to accept his apology, he obviously hurt him badly regardless of everything else leading up to it, it would be understandable if he never forgave him for it - then looks down, leans away and makes to stand up, to leave before he actually starts crying again. He's been crying so much recently, one would think he'd develop a tolerance to being sad, but apparently not. 

“No wait-” A hand shoots out and grabs his wrist; Jaebum's head snaps back up and he stares at Jinyoung in alarm. He looks almost frantic, shifting in place and leaning forward slightly - he's already moving easier. “Hyung I-" he stops with a wince, looks conflicted; Jaebum bites hard on the inside of his cheek and tries not to think about how much he's missed him- “I didn't mean- I just-" another pause, frown frustrated now at his uncharacteristic difficulty getting his words out- “you don't have to apologise. You- it hurt. A lot. But it- I guess I didn't realise that you were hurting too and that you had been for a long time.” Jinyoung looks down at his lap, lips trembling and Jaebum just stares at him. “I- I was scared of looking at what I was doing so I just… didn't. I didn't look at it and I didn't look at you because you were trying to show me and I just-” he sniffles, scrubbing a hand under his eyes and his voice cracks when he speaks again- “I really fucked up and I’m so- I’m so sorry.” He clears his throat, pressing his lips together and Jaebum scrambles for something to say.

“It’s- thank you. I guess I- I can’t really imagine what this has been like for you,” Jaebum says slowly, eyebrows pulling together, “but it- was hard and I made it harder, even if- well-” Jinyoung snorts softly.

“I deserved it?” He offers with a wry smile; Jaebum balks and starts spluttering but Jinyoung shakes his head. “Honestly I did, I needed- something to shock me out of it. If you hadn’t- something had to give.” He sighs, long and slow. “And you- I know you tend to shoulder everyone else’s burdens hyung but you aren’t taking this one. You couldn’t have done anything else. This was on me.” He looks down, eyelashes fanning on his cheek and his lips twisted into an unhappy grimace. Jaebum says nothing - what exactly can he say to that? Even if he does feel a little less guilty - and just stares at him, whole chest aching at just seeing him again, let alone everything else.

“I miss you.” Jinyoung blurts after maybe thirty seconds’ silence and immediately cringes, squeezing his eyes shut. Jaebum aches to hug him but doesn’t dare, just fists his hands at his sides and swallows hard.

“I miss you too.” He barely manages to breathe it but Jinyoung hears him nonetheless, eyes popping back open to stare at him, first confused then, painfully, with a glimmer of hope. “I- had to do what I did. I couldn’t- stay. But I do miss you.” Jinyoung’s eyes look a little damp but he nods slowly.

“I think it was best that you did. I needed- I  _ still  _ need to sort myself out fully but- maybe-” Maybe. He doesn’t dare voice it and neither does Jaebum, possibilities hanging in the air by a thread, delicate and far too breakable. Silence again, heavy and crushing and they stare at each other, both of them hardly daring to blink.

“What now?” Jaebum whispers, barely daring to break the silence. For a moment Jinyoung looks as lost as Jaebum feels, just staring at him with wide eyes but then he sighs and steels himself, raising his chin slightly.

“Maybe, um. We could talk again sometime?” Jinyoung asks tentatively, but he smiles, trembling but hopeful, when Jaebum nods slowly. 

“Okay.” His smile gets wider and Jaebum’s chest hurts a little bit as he offers him a weak smile in return.

“Okay.” He echoes, palms smoothing down his thighs nervously before he tips his head towards the door. “I should probably-?” Jaebum blinks in incomprehension for a moment then coughs and steps back, automatically offering Jinyoung his hand to help him off the counter. He seems to take it automatically too because when he realises what he did he freezes up for a moment before taking it back quickly and following Jaebum out of the bathroom with a slight flush to his cheeks. 

Jaebum hesitates in his room, eyeing the balcony uncertainly but thankfully Jinyoung heads for the door, clearly aiming to leave more normally than he arrived; he trails after him, just watches him open the door and grabbing the handle once he’s stepped through and turns to glance tentatively at him. Jaebum then realises he’s covered in blood.

“Wait, um-” he grabs a hoodie off the hooks next to the door and pushes it into his hands- “you- take it. You’re a bit-” He nods down at Jinyoung’s ruined jacket and shirt. Stricken, Jinyoung gulps, then laughs slightly squeakily and shrugs it on over the top - it’s big enough to fit over his thin jacket - cuddling it close to himself. Jaebum feels like he’s about to cry again.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, embarrassed, “I’ll, uh, call you? Sometime?” He asks quietly. Jaebum nods without even thinking about it but it’s worth it when Jinyoung smiles again, small but genuine. He’s missed him so much. “Okay. G-goodnight, then.” Jaebum smiles weakly back.

“Goodnight.” He mumbles, feeling his face heat up. Nodding back, Jinyoung lifts a hand in a little half-hearted wave before turning on his heel - Jaebum catches an embarrassed, almost pained expression cross his face just before he’s facing away, hand dropping to his side - and heading down the hallway towards the stairs. Jaebum shuts the door and stares at it, feeling somewhat numb. Did that all really just happen?

Still, can’t stay here staring at the door all night. Running on autopilot, Jaebum cleans up the bathroom and starts getting ready for bed, washing his face and cleaning his teeth; it sinks in halfway through and he almost chokes on toothpaste, coughing and spluttering into the sink. When he’s not about to die, he covers his face with both hands, grinning dopily behind them. It’s probably stupid to be so giddy considering they’ve literally agreed to maybe talk at some point in the future but this is a much more hopeful position than he’s been in for months, since well before they broke up, so he’ll take what he can get.

It’s getting towards midnight by the time Jaebum flops into bed, changed into a pair of sweatpants and a random t-shirt. Already it feels a little less oppressive, a little less like the extra space is mocking him. Abruptly exhausted, he teeters on the edge of sleep, eyelids drooping closed.

There's a series of heavy knocks against the front door. Blearily Jaebum stands, rubbing his eyes as he stalks out of his bedroom swearing under his breath to answer it - why can’t he just sleep?

“Hello?” The man, tall, blond and handsome but with an odd glint in his eye, smiles.

“Would you be Im Jaebum?” He asks, voice deep and pleasant. Jaebum frowns at him.

“Yes?” The man's smile widens, taking on a terrifying menace that has the hairs on Jaebum's nape standing on end. “What-" Something strikes the back of his head hard and everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger number two :') enjoy and come yell at me on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles), [tumblr](http://jbibbles.tumblr.com/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) or down below in the comments <3


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry in advance also more violence/injury stuff in this chapter so be warned!!

“A continually developing story: there appears to be some sort of showdown occurring atop the tallest skyscraper in the city but unfortunately that's all we can see at the moment; any attempts to approach by either police or press has been met with extreme aggression and has resulted in both injuries and de-" The blond guy laughs and turns the radio off. Jaebum doesn’t do anything. Not that he can really, what with the plastic zip-ties binding his wrists behind his back and the strip of fabric between his teeth, tied at the back of his aching head, the tall woman behind him keeping an iron grip on his shoulder and stopping him from even shuffling, let alone getting off his knees. 

“I- is this really a good idea?” A younger looking guy says nervously, shrinking in on himself and cowering next to an uneasy looking girl when blond guy looks at him disapprovingly. 

“We need Junior to leave us alone and to do that he needs to know we mean business-” he walks over to Jaebum, crouching down in front of him and smiling almost sweetly- “trust me, this will work.” Jaebum flinches when he leans in a little closer, eyes narrowed; they’re pale grey, washed out. His smile gets wider and he stands up; Jaebum breathes out, relaxing a fraction.

The blond man kicks him in the chest. Something cracks and the woman’s grip doesn’t falter so he doesn’t even fall. Jaebum’s just shocked for an instant but then the pain slams into him, sharp and agonising and taking his breath away; he barely makes a sound, what manages to escape lost into the gag. Tears well up in his eyes but he blinks them away as best he can and focuses on breathing through his nose steadily no matter how much each one now hurts.

_ “So what are your friends like?” Jaebum asks, wondering if Jinyoung will tell him anything considering how he just straight up refused to introduce them. Sure enough, he fidgets, shrugging halfheartedly and prodding at his ramen.  _

_ “They’re- different,” he mumbles, “a bit older than me but they seem to know what they’re doing with- all of it and I need the help, so…” He tails off, keeping his eyes fixed on his bowl. “They do what they can. We just- help each other out.” Jaebum nods slowly, vague unease prickling at the back of his head. _

“Is this all really-” The uneasy girl starts but blond guy just turns to frown at her and cuts her off.

“As I keep fucking saying, yes, it is necessary. You can do as I tell you or you can leave.” He snaps with an air of finality; she shuts her mouth. Jaebum bites down on the gag between his teeth and tries not to make a noise, pain spearing through his chest with each inhale. 

Humming cheerfully to himself, the blond guy paces up and down the rooftop, hands in his pockets and posture relaxed as though nothing were amiss. No one else shares his joviality. 

“Incoming.” The tall woman says after a couple of minutes, sounding almost bored. Blond guy grins and cracks his neck as there’s a rush of air and a blur of black, a figure landing in the centre of the rooftop with a muffled thump. Jinyoung straightens from his crouch, tugging his mask down from his nose and mouth with a slightly trembling hand; he’s scared, desperately so but equally desperately trying to hide it.

“Junior.” The blond says amiably. Jinyoung's eye twitches.

“Don't call me that.” He snaps but blond guy just snorts. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Blond guy laughs.

“We told you. Warned you several times. You should have paid attention.” He says lightly, then nods at the woman holding Jaebum’s shoulder; she lets go but then there’s a grip on his wrists and a snap, the zip-ties falling free. She keeps a hold on his left and stands straight, pulling his arm up and barely seeming to notice his attempts to pull it away. No one stops him from yanking the gag off though.

“What the fu--ck?!” She twists and something in his wrist snaps and he can’t stop himself crying out, more tears burning behind his eyes. Her fingers bite deeper and Jaebum chokes down a sob, keeps his teeth gritted - this fucking  _ hurts _ , what the fuck - and tries pointlessly to pry her hand off.

“Enough! What the fuck is this?!” Jinyoung yells, starting to stalk over towards Jaebum but he freezes dead still when the woman twists some more and Jaebum yelps again, tears spilling down his face and dread and agony bubbling together. Her fingers bite into his skin, squeezing hard enough that the bones grind together, whatever’s broken breaking even more. 

“This,” blond guy says almost amiably, “is a warning. I don’t give a shit if you’ve finally found the backbone to stick to what you preach but if you don’t stop meddling and ruining what we’re working hard for, you’ll regret it.” He nods again and the woman’s grip eases off enough for Jaebum to be able to think again; Jinyoung’s staring at him in utter horror as he struggles to get a breath. Blond guy smiles and it would be handsome if it wasn't so twisted. “So what do you say? Leave us be, and we'll leave you and all your friends-" her fingers squeeze again and Jaebum cries out as something else cracks, more tears hot under his eyes- “alone as well.” Jinyoung's shaking, hands fisted tight at his sides.

“You- what the fuck is wrong with you? How did you even-" Blond guy snorts.

“We followed you home last night, you were just too bloody to notice.” He laughs when Jinyoung bristles, regret and fury passing over his face. “See what happens if you mess with us? Just leave us alone and we'll never touch any of your loved ones again.” Blond guy states with what would be a charming grin if it wasn’t so terrifying. Jinyoung barks an unconvinced laugh.

“Right, you'll just hurt other people's.” He snaps back but blond guy just laughs.

“Do you care enough to stop us at risk to yours?” Jinyoung flinches and looks down at Jaebum who honestly just wants this woman to stop breaking his bones, barely able to hear the conversation over the ringing in his ears; he stares back, teeth gritted to stop himself screaming. Something breaks behind Jinyoung's eyes and he lifts his head again.

“Yes.” That answer seems to bring them all up short for a moment, blond guy going still and blinking quickly and the woman's grip slackening a little; Jaebum gasps and tries to yank his arm free but she recovers quickly and twists his wrist. Whimpering, he falls very still, black spots dancing at the edge of his vision.

“You’re not going to stop?” Blond guy asks once he too gathers his wits together. He sounds like he’s disappointed with a child. Jinyoung’s clearly biting back a retort but he just nods, eyes fixed on the fingers still digging into Jaebum’s broken wrist. Blond guy hums. “That’s a shame.” He nods at the woman holding Jaebum. She snorts, hauls him to his feet then lets go; he barely gets to enjoy not being in as much pain before she moves so fast as to blur and he’s hit very hard in the stomach again, hard enough he’s thrown backwards this time and another rib definitely breaks and more will probably do the same when he hits the concrete and it's really going to hurt. 

Except he doesn’t hit the concrete. He falls instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and im sorry again lmao (: so uh yeah that was the cliffhanger half of this story was based around so... :) also now u see where my now obvious title came from lol :') yell at me down below or on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles), [tumblr](http://jbibbles.tumblr.com/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles)
> 
> also u may have noticed this was early and as I said on twitter that's because im going on holiday for a week so wont have laptop access and possibly no internet so yeah... next week's should be up on sunday or Monday and I do apologise for making y'all wait a bit longer with that... ending... but yeah nothing I can really do about that it was this one or last chapter's lol <3 thanks for reading!!!!


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some milder injury stuff in this chapter and a brief mention of vomiting, just wanna warn ya in case anyone's sensitive to this stuff <3

_ “Breaking; the showdown reported earlier appears to have deteriorated. Citizens are advised to avoid the city centre and those living in the area should stay indoors and off the streets, repeat, citizens are advised- _

_ Oh god look-! _

_ Oh my god there’s- there’s someone’s falling-! _

_ What the-!” _

The edge of the building rushes past, fifteen, twenty feet away from him and Jaebum plummets downwards, wind rushing in his ears almost as loudly as his heart and ripping the air from his lungs so he can’t even cry out. He shuts his stinging eyes.

Something slams into him and he starts to move more horizontally than straight down and then there's an impact that jars right to his bones and he's still. He's still but he’s not dead and there's a hand on the back of his head - the only thing that stopped that impact snapping his neck, he realises dully - and he opens his eyes as he's lowered to sit on the ground.

Eyes puffy and red, Jinyoung stares at him, tears tracked down to stain his mask then there’s a noise like a thunderclap and he whirls, standing in the same movement and then he’s just gone in a rush of air, a blur in the sky colliding with another and vanishing behind a skyscraper.

Jaebum passes out very briefly and wakes up a second later flat on the concrete; he hadn’t been breathing. It’s not much better now he is however, considering how painful it is to do so. He barks a semi-hysterical laugh, regrets that too and rolls onto his knees to be sick.

The next few hours blend into something unrecognisable; he’s not sure how he gets off the roof beyond heaving himself up and hammering on the locked door for a while, but somehow he does get down. He remembers the journey to the nearest hospital a little better, spent slumped in the backseat of a beat up car as he’s frantically talked to by the woman sat in the front passenger seat who’s apparently concerned he’ll pass out and not wake up again. Jaebum doesn’t think that’s very likely, but he’s a bit too out of it to argue.

The streets are in disarray, cars almost at a standstill with ambulances and fire engines trying to pick their way through the gridlock, sirens wailing in the cool morning air. They eventually break through though, tailing close behind an ambulance and pulling up outside the doors of the building when it screeches to a halt. He’s ushered into the waiting room, both the woman and the driver yelling loudly about him appearing out of nowhere on the roof -  _ he could be the one that fell from the skyscraper! _ \- and shoving him towards the desk before scarpering as soon as they know he’s not going to die. 

It’s packed in here; a building nearby apparently collapsed according to the hushed chatter in the emergency room. The nurse who ushers him into a ward and tends to his broken bones is ominously silent, only speaking to tell him he isn’t concussed and to arrange a proper visit to a doctor about his ribs and braced wrist as soon as he can before heading off to one of the influx of emergency patients. The TV in the waiting room is on mute but with subtitles as he slowly makes his way out - they’re barely caring about paperwork with how busy it is, his checkout is remarkably fast - showing the figures in black clashing in the sky, on rooftops, in skyscrapers. Flying through windows, sending cars sailing down streets, pavements cracking as they get thrown into them. It’s not just a group against one though, maybe two or three others seem to be helping Jinyoung. Jaebum turns away from the TV.

His phone and keys are both in his apartment. He realises this as he leaves the building but then thankfully realises that he’s not too far from Mark’s; eternally grateful that he actually got around to getting a spare key cut for him, he picks his way through the crowd milling outside the hospital, down the few streets to his building and up to the door to ring the buzzer. He slumps against the wall as he waits for Mark to answer, zoning out somewhat.

“Hello?” Mark snaps down the intercom. It takes a second for Jaebum to gather the wherewithal to answer.

“It’s me.” There’s a sharp blast of static before he manages to get actual words out.

“What the fuck I’ve been calling you for- come up here!” He snaps, the door clicking open the next second. Jaebum just catches it before it swings shut and slips inside, trudging his way up the stairs. Mark grabs him on the landing and hugs him, squeezing tight enough to really hurt his ribs but he can’t get any air to protest; he just ends up wheezing and slapping him on the arm until he realises something’s wrong and drags him inside. “Shit, sorry man I’m just- fucking hell, why weren’t you answering your phone?! What happened?!” 

Jaebum spends about half an hour explaining everything, from Jinyoung crashing onto his balcony to getting kicked off a roof - Mark squawks very loudly at that, eyes painfully wide - and caught by Jinyoung all while trying to breathe as little as possible so it doesn’t aggravate his ribs.

“I need to use the spare key you have to my apartment, mine is still- in it.” Is what he eventually ends with; Mark just sits there gaping for a while, processing everything he’s just said. Jaebum can relate if he’s being honest, having not entirely processed it himself even if he’s less all over the place than he was before arriving.

“You want to go back to your apartment after that?” Mark eventually squeaks, hands trembling as he lifts them to clasp them behind his head. “You should stay here tonight, we can go get your stuff later?” Jaebum shakes his head and Mark frowns, anxiety written across his face. “Are you sure? Jaebum, if these people know where you live-” Jaebum shakes his head again.

“Nora’s there, I have to get her-” he sighs, wincing at the ache in his chest- “I’ll be okay tonight, so just- look you can help me bring stuff over tomorrow, alright?” He concedes when Mark starts puffing up. “I just- need to know that Nora’s okay.” If those fuckers have hurt her, superpowers or not he’s going to find them and kick all of their asses from here to next year. Mark seems to sense he’s not going to back down on this one so relents with a heavy sigh.

“Fine, but I’ll get a taxi with you and anything happens, fucking call me, alright?” He demands, turning on his heel to grab a jacket and not even waiting to see Jaebum nod.

The journey is long, streets still clogged up thanks to all the damage and panicked fleeing, but it seems the worst of the fighting has passed. The driver has the radio on, takes them around smaller streets to get to Jaebum's apartment - he's charging a lot too but Jaebum can't blame him for that, Jaebum wouldn’t want to be driving around during this either - and changes routes occasionally when the radio mentions something in the area. 

Eventually they arrive though, pulling up in front of his building. It looks deceptively secure, unchanged but it feels different, unsafe. Jaebum's definitely going to have to move out. That was a really nice apartment too.

Mark watches him from the back of the taxi the whole time it takes him to get to the door and unlock it, only nodding at the driver once Jaebum’s shut the door behind him. He plods up the stairs, exhaustion slowing him down but eventually he gets to his apartment and steps inside. It’s thankfully mostly as he left it, nothing obviously missing, laptop still on the coffee table and TV still there.

A series of loud panicked whines almost scares him to death but he calms down when he realises it’s just Nora crying; she practically sprints over to him, rubbing against his legs and squeaking over and over again until he gingerly kneels down and ruffles her head. She butts at his hand, purring insistently and walking in circles in front of him.

“Sorry for scaring you baby girl, I’m okay.” He murmurs; she meows furiously and headbutts his face when he bends down to kiss the top of her head as though she’s telling him off for putting pressure on his ribs. Painfully, he sits down, smiling weakly when she immediately gets onto his lap and nudges insistently at his face again, mewling when he strokes her head. She seems unharmed at least. That makes one of them.

He's not sure how long he spends fussing her, his own mind calming down slowly, but after a while there’s a tentative knock at the door. Jaebum slowly and painfully clambers to his feet and steps to it, peering through the peephole, only to rip it open when he sees who it is.

“Jinyoung-” he looks bad, hood pulled up and bruises purpling on his cheeks; he shuffles inside when Jaebum moves to let him- “are you okay? You-” His voice gives out when he pushes his hood down; there’s dried blood under his nose, bits of plaster and brick and more blood matted in his hair. He’s also crying, eyes wet and glossy and his expression crumples when Jaebum shuts the door with shaking hands, staring at his braced wrist miserably.

“I’m so sorry hyung, I- This is all my fault, shit I shouldn’t even have come here again-” He buries his face in both hands, sobbing unrestrainedly into them. Jaebum grabs his shoulders and pulls him closer, tucking his head under his chin and ignoring the protests of his ribs in favour of hugging him as tightly as he can. Crying into his chest, Jinyoung hugs him back, clutching at his shirt and shaking like a leaf.

“You saved my life.” Jaebum whispers, unable to get his voice any louder. Ironically he doesn't cry, despite feeling like he could any second just in regards to his emotional state; his eyes are prickly, but painfully dry. Jinyoung’s sobs just get harder and Jaebum holds him until they peter back out, rubbing his back and breathing as evenly as he can.

Sniffling, he wriggles out of Jaebum's arms a few minutes later, scrubbing his face on the back of his hand. Jaebum tugs him further inside, almost tripping over Nora winding around his legs but managing to sit Jinyoung down on the couch without incident, dropping down next to him with a grunt. Nora immediately jumps up between them, pushing insistently at his elbow until he lets her on his lap, patting her butt when she starts turning around in circles and demanding attention. With a wet chuckle Jinyoung strokes her head, lip wobbling again when she butts into his hand and squeaks encouragingly.

“Are you- how are you?” Jinyoung asks after a good few minutes’ silence, painfully hesitant and determinedly staring down at Nora. Jaebum shrugs halfheartedly.

“I have to go back to the doctor" he waves his braced wrist around- “but otherwise. I don't know. I don't think anything's really… sunk in yet.” Jinyoung nods slowly, pressing his lips together. Nora settles down in Jaebum’s lap, purring loudly as he strokes her on autopilot. Not sure what else to do, he just waits, measuring his breathing and watching Nora try to get to sleep.

“I honestly never thought- they'd hurt people who got in the way during burglaries but I never even imagined they'd do anything like this.” Jinyoung rasps eventually, staring down at Jaebum's braced wrist with his lips twisted unhappily. Jaebum's not surprised; who would imagine this? Even that guy's friends didn't all seem on board. “I- I'm so sorry for dragging you into this, hyung.” Jinyoung bows his head a little, eyes screwed shut. 

“It's- I know you didn't want this to happen. I don't blame you.” He says quietly; it might ultimately be Jinyoung's fault that they knew who Jaebum was to grab him but he isn't going to blame Jinyoung for someone else's actions. How could he have known they’d go this far? Jinyoung nods slowly but he doesn't look convinced, like he's blaming himself for sure even if Jaebum isn’t. “I mean it. Didn't you tell me that I couldn't blame myself for what you did? The same thing applies here.” Slightly different context but still. Jinyoung sighs and smiles weakly at him before looking back at Nora who, apparently not content with getting affection from just one person, has slid off his lap to wedge herself between them, butting at Jinyoung’s thigh.

“What are you going to do now?” He asks quietly, stroking her gently from head to tail. She purrs happily. Jaebum shrugs one shoulder and regrets it when his chest protests.

“I'm going to move, Mark's going to let me crash at his while I find a new apartment I think.” Jinyoung nods, looking around wistfully. It’ll be hard, there’s a lot of memories here, but honestly Jaebum would rather start over somewhere from which he hasn’t been knocked out and kidnapped.

“Any ideas of what you want?” He asks softly, half-joking. Jaebum shrugs, chuckling wryly.

“No balcony this time.” Jinyoung's answering smile is weak and trembles like it's about to slip off his face, chin dipping to his chest. “You'll just have to come in by the door like us regular humans.” His head snaps back up, eyes wide and glossy. “I told you, we can- talk. And see what happens. That hasn't changed.” He offers him a small smile but Jinyoung doesn’t return it.

“Maybe it should.” He mumbles. Jaebum's heart drops through the floor. Hands trembling, he breathes out slowly; the horrible thing is that he’s probably right, at least if they want to be sure this never happens again. But that would mean a real end. Definitive. And as much as this sucks right now, he’s not sure which would be worse in the long run; this month has been  _ miserable _ . Maybe Jaebum’s just an idiot but if these people don’t find him again, surely it’ll be okay. Okay the more he thinks about it the stupider it seems but then when have feelings been anything other than stupid?

“Is that- what you want?” He asks haltingly. Jinyoung rubs his eyes and sighs, frowning down at Nora, who's cracked an eye open to glare at him suspiciously. 

“I just don't want you to get hurt again hyung.” He says in a rush, looking about to burst into tears again. Jaebum frowns down at his wrist.

“I mean I’d like to avoid that too,” he mumbles without thinking; Jinyoung barks a wet laugh and scrubs away the tears that spill over, “but I- you-” Jaebum breaths out sharply- “I miss you.” He admits weakly. Nora squeaks and stands up to headbutt Jinyoung’s hands when he buries his face in them.

“They only came for you because they followed me here.” Jaebum automatically wraps an arm around his shoulders when his voice breaks, squeezing gently as he sniffles.

“So don't get followed?” He offers, knowing it’s not much help. Jinyoung barks a wet laugh, lifting his head to frown up at Jaebum.

“It might not be that easy.” He mumbles. Jaebum nods, lips twisting into a wry grimace.

“I know but- you saved me this time. If there's a next time I'm sure you'll Superman in again.” It’s mostly a joke. Thankfully Jinyoung laughs, still wet but with a more genuine smile; Jaebum's really missed his laugh.

“So if I'm Superman, does that make you Lois Lane?” He jokes back; Jaebum's heart feels lighter than it has in a while so he laughs maybe more than that deserves. It hurts his ribs but Jinyoung looks happy, eyes crinkling up at the corners. 

“Sure, I'll be your Lois Lane.” He chuckles and wraps an arm around Jinyoung's shoulders, pulling him into his chest and automatically dropping a kiss onto the top of his head. Sighing, Jinyoung's head rests on Jaebum's shoulder, Nora leaping off his lap with a disgruntled noise and padding away into the kitchen. 

“What now?” He whispers, echoing Jaebum's words from last night. Wow, that was only last night; it feels like days ago.

“I don't know. But we'll figure it out.” He whispers back. They will. It'll take a lot of time and work and it'll be hard, but they will, Jaebum's sure of it. Jinyoung turns his face into Jaebum's neck and smiles and, exhausted and sore but content for now, Jaebum can't help smiling too.

 

_ “Excuse me!” The masked figure turns at the reporter's shout. “What made you turn on your fellow superhumans?” Jinyoung tilts his head, what’s visible of his eyes behind his mask crinkling as though he’s smiling. _

_ “Someone I care very deeply about reminded me who I am.” Damn that’s dramatic. Overdramatic in fact. How very Jinyoung. Shaking his head and grinning like an idiot, Jaebum switches the TV off. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we are done!! Thank u so much for sticking with me and I hope u all like this emo trainwreck and that u liked the hopeful ending <3 talk to me about it (or anything really)!! please!! either down below or on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles), [tumblr](http://jbibbles.tumblr.com/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) tho if im honest my tumblr is. mostly dead :') so twitter or cc is best <3

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! updates will be weekly on sundays <3
> 
> if u wanna chat to me or leave thoughts/questions u can do so in the comments or on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles), [tumblr](http://jbibbles.tumblr.com/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) and u can follow me on these for updates on this and any other fics and also my life if u like; twitter is probably the best one for that <3
> 
> thanks again!!


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